Author Topic: One more reason to be P***** at WalMart (Read 4610 times)

Francois · « **on:** May 26, 2011, 04:50:51 PM »

Well... I just thought I'd share this one with you... and yes, I'm still p***** off
This morning I brought the first roll I ever shot using the Sprocket Rocket for processing at the last 1 hour lab in town. I ask for processing only. No scans, no prints. I tell the girl that they are panoramics that use two frames for each picture. I tell her to cut the negatives and to put them into sleeves.

Lucky I looked at the negatives when I picked them up! It was another person at the counter. She hadn't passed on the instructions. They cut my friggin negatives in the middle of each image! So I now have only 4 images out of twelve that are intact. All the others are cut straight down the middle...

Grrr...

astrobeck · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2011, 05:21:02 PM »

I feel your pain!

I hope you didn't pay for them.

If it makes you feel any better, I had some film processed at a local place and they somehow managed to load the film improperly in the auto processor and all of the negatives came out slit lengthwise right down the middle!

How this happened is still a mystery, but I was totally ticked off. ( I was madder than a hornet actually)

So sorry this happened Francois.

Francois · « **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2011, 05:27:35 PM »

I went to the returns and got my 3$ something back...
But still is a bit bummer...

Chris A Fraser · « **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2011, 05:29:33 PM »

WHAT!! I would be mare than P*****.

Heather · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2011, 05:59:22 PM »

Aww

I feel for you, I had that happen with my Finetta negatives (the spacing is weird) after I was assured by the guy who runs the lab that all negatives were handcut and they weren't going to be cut weird... and they handcut one of my frames right down the middle.

It wasn't even walmart, it was Boots here, which is a drug store/chemist but, geeze, I talked to the guy before I dropped it off.

gothamtomato · « **Reply #5 on:** May 26, 2011, 06:22:49 PM »

Why does anyone go to Walmart?

Thom Stone · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2011, 06:27:39 PM »

Yeah I don't like boots for processing I use a small local lab for important things and asda for loads of toy camera rolls, its rather cheap but ok for devs and a cd. They are owned by walmart so the closest thing we have, I did get a load back a while ago that had what looked like a uniform scratch right down the centre on all the scans, but I presumed it was just the scans and as it was just toy camera stuff didn't make a fuss. also the guy who served me is one of my good friends dads :-p is a nice guy and very enthusiastic about photography

Francois · « **Reply #7 on:** May 26, 2011, 06:54:56 PM »

Quote from: gothamtomato on May 26, 2011, 06:22:49 PM

Why does anyone go to Walmart?

simply because they're the only 1 hour lab left in town...
Costco stopped processing, The grocery store closed down their lab, the drugstore won't do processing only and only have 48 hour service... all we're left with is the Japanese Photo Center and it takes me a good 20 minutes just to drive there... and their service is not all that hot.

Mike (happyforest) · « **Reply #8 on:** May 26, 2011, 07:28:45 PM »

Francois

Sounds as if you need to start your own colour processing at least the negatives.

Mike

tkmedia · « **Reply #9 on:** May 26, 2011, 07:39:53 PM »

I mark the envelope with instructions as well as mark the canister with instructions. But generally dont process my esoteric films in shops like walmart. at least that walmart you have sill does processing, a lot of newer ones dont do any at all not even for off site processing.

Diane Peterson · « **Reply #10 on:** May 26, 2011, 09:03:03 PM »

Francois..so sorry this happened to you..I had such bad experiences with pretty much the only game in town to the point they kinda wanted to put the closed sign up when they saw me coming..I am not nice when I get p****** off when I have made it clear what I wanted..I always say...if you don't understand or can't do what I want just say so..and save everybody the headache...

Francois · « **Reply #11 on:** May 26, 2011, 10:04:51 PM »

I really don't know if the girl was really good at pretending to understand my instructions or that she simply didn't tell the rest of the lab's staff...

In either case, it's going to be a big photoshop headache to salvage those!

Mojave · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2011, 10:56:59 PM »

Im so sorry Francois! I have had problems at Walmart where one person doesnt tell the other person what they are supposed to be doing and more then once they've cut my negs and done prints.

Late Developer · « **Reply #13 on:** May 27, 2011, 12:18:33 AM »

Francois, that is horrific.

Have all the sh*t-for-brains who infest the "staff" side of the counter at Walmart had a collective frontal lobotomy? For my money, doing something like that should be punishable by an instant, heavy-duty and prolonged kicking. Getting $3 back doesn't begin to get close to what's required.

What is the point of putting someone behind the counter that can't even see there aren't spaces where the frames normally end and, worse still, carries on cutting despite the lack of spaces? Can you imagine what it must be like on the inside of that person's head? I can't. It's too scary to contemplate.

I just hope that you'll be able to replicate the images shot - closely, if not identically. Really sorry for your loss.

calbisu · « **Reply #14 on:** May 27, 2011, 01:23:20 AM »

Be water my friend

sethasaurus · « **Reply #15 on:** May 27, 2011, 07:58:11 AM »

I got about 6 rolls of 120 film and 4 rolls of 35mm developed in NZ before I flew out. The girls at the counter weren't sure if they were able to process 120 film and had to run off and ask the manager.
I didn't inspect them all right away but kept them in a plastic bag until I could get home and back to the darkroom.
When I did inspect them, they were ALL scratched and had big fingerprints all over them - every single one!

This is the abslute worst kind of deal - When you PAY MONEY for somebody to F*CK IT UP!

The problem is you can't just put a few extra holes in their heads and charge them for it.

Next 50 bucks I get goes towards a revolver!

Actually, I will quite often now, when I ask someone in a store for what I need, add "and don't f*ck it up!" to the end of my requirements.

chris_n · « **Reply #16 on:** May 27, 2011, 09:37:28 AM »

you can easily clean fingerprints of negs....scratches, not so much.

negs cut in half, not quite at all.

sorry francois! photoshop will surely come to the rescue! treat it like a stitch and i'm sure it will pan out

Ed Wenn · « **Reply #17 on:** May 27, 2011, 10:04:17 AM »

Quote from: chris_n on May 27, 2011, 09:37:28 AM

treat it like a stitch and i'm sure it will pan out

Well done to Chris for ending on a pun. Top marks

With regard to Francois' original tale and then the subsequent similar experiences from others...this is exactly why I started processing colour film at home. I can't afford the prices that the good labs charge and I got sick and tired of having the cheaper labs ruin my negs, so I went DIY.

Now, I'd happily pay someone to scan all of the negs I develop, but that's another story.

Francois · « **Reply #18 on:** May 27, 2011, 03:18:30 PM »

Quote from: Late Developer on May 27, 2011, 12:18:33 AM

Have all the sh*t-for-brains who infest the "staff" side of the counter at Walmart had a collective frontal lobotomy?

photoshop will surely come to the rescue! treat it like a stitch and i'm sure it will pan out

[/quote]
I thought so but there's a slight glitch with that: I have no overlapping material! The edges are not cut cleanly or evenly. When I scan, I get a big red-ish orange line on that edge which is probably due to the backlight exiting the negative by the side. So I have to scan, cut, align the layers, merge down, straighten, crop, and finish with the healing tool hoping for the best... It works but is it worth all that trouble?

Here's one of the salvaged pictures

DaveO · « **Reply #19 on:** May 27, 2011, 03:47:27 PM »

When you process film you should tell them not to cut the negatives at all. Rolls of negatives take up more room, but you would not have had this problem. Cut them yourself where you want them cut.

DaveO

Francois · « **Reply #20 on:** May 27, 2011, 04:21:59 PM »

That's what I'll do next time... and I'll also ask them to give me enough film sleeves (2 pictures per sleeve makes 6 sleeves total...)

astrobeck · « **Reply #21 on:** May 27, 2011, 06:34:02 PM »

Yes, tell everyone not to cut the negs.

I even tell my pro-lab not to cut. I do most all of my own processing now but occasionally I drive into Albuquerque and have the last pro lab in town do stuff, but they KNOW not to cut.

So far it's worked.

Good luck Francois. I like the dandelion field above! Hope to see some more!!!!

Mojave · « **Reply #22 on:** May 27, 2011, 08:00:47 PM »

Same here. I tell them all not to cut. I dont like how they cut anyway. They cut in lengths of 4 frames but my archival storage sheets store lengths of 5 frames so it wastes too much space in my storage sheets. But even so, I've had people who dont know me cut my negs anyway so it could still happen.

Mojave · « **Reply #23 on:** May 27, 2011, 08:02:04 PM »

That shot is gorgeous Francois!!! Well worth the effort to save it.

Francois · « **Reply #24 on:** May 27, 2011, 09:06:10 PM »

Managed to save three more

Randy B · « **Reply #25 on:** May 30, 2011, 03:42:42 AM »

I usually tell the cheapo labs to not cut the negs, Although I go burned on that one too. The 16 year olf chick at the counter just balled up the roll and crammed it into a 4x6 prints box. all the negs are bent and scratched and fingerprinted. But I guess what do you expect for $2

chris_n · « **Reply #26 on:** May 30, 2011, 11:15:26 AM »

huzzah! i didn't think about the non-overlap factor, but i'm glad you got some of them to work. they are really lovely!

original_ann · « **Reply #27 on:** May 30, 2011, 02:51:42 PM »

Ugh! So sorry this happened to you! I had a local film lab that constantly had a problem with me asking for my rolls to be cut 4 sets of 3 -- they constantly were cutting 3 sets of four, even though the outside of my envelope was always worded "cut strips in 4 sets of 3, NOT 3 sets of four". I finally left them.

Author Topic: One more reason to be P***** at WalMart (Read 4610 times)

astrobeck

astrobeck